2012 President‘s Club Members

ISSUE 10

Business Todaythe official publication of the pittsburg chamber of commerce

Dow Chemical Ramar foods international Wells fargo bank2012 Partners

VOLUME 45 October 2012

Contra Costa Water District2

Pittsburg Rayley’sSupermarketto be converted..........................Disability access reform bill becomes law......................

Governor signs job creatorBills..............................................

uses flowing water to.............

Mechanics Bank

Contra Costa Water District is tapping into an existing water pipeline to generate energy for its East Contra Costa services.

Pittsburg Raley's supermarket to be converted to a Food Source grocery store

Contra Costa Water District uses flowing water to power East Contra Costa service

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California Chamber of Commerce-supported legislation to limit frivolous litigation connected with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) has been signed into law.

Governor Signs All Job Creator Bills Sent to His DeskGovernor Edmund G. Brown Jr. signed all nine California Chamber of Commerce supported job creator bills that passed the California Legislature this year.

Eight job creator bills passed the Legislature in the closing days of the session. An urgency measure promoting cost-e�cient energy passed the Legislature in May and went into e�ect immediately upon being signed.

The CalChamber identi�ed 34 job creator bills this year.

Disability Access Reform Bill Becomes Law

Plans still call for Raley's to close in mid-October, followed by four to six weeks of work to transform the store into a Food Source store. Raley's workers will have to apply for Food Source jobs.

Raley's plans to close this store on Buchanan Road in Pittsburg, Calif., in mid-October 2012, Wednesday, Aug. 22, 2012. (Dan Rosenstrauch/Sta�)

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2012 Pittsburg Chamber ZIN DIN A HUGE SUCCESS!Can you actually to real "work" on a tablet computer? See Page 3

How to get the best from your technology

The elite Zinfandel wine industry gathered at the 16th Annual Pittsburg Chamber ZIN DIN to celebrate the best of the best Zins at the Awards Dinner. See Page 2

Four vie for Pittsburg Council seats....

The water district launched a $6.2 million hydroelectric generation facility recently that produces energy from the existing Los Vaqueros pipeline. The facility is adjacent to the district's Antioch Service Center, on the Antioch-Oakley border.

The water turbine will produce up to one megawatt of energy -- reducing the nearby pump station's use of carbon-based fuels by about 10 percent, said Jennifer Allen, a district spokeswoman.

"We realized that there is a great deal of energy coming down that just dissipates, so our goal is to capture that beforehand," said Dan Owre, the district's director of construction.

The water �ows from Los Vaqueros Reservoir, Old River and Middle River and to a pipe that runs through Byron, Brentwood and Antioch on its way to the service station. The turbine converts the water pressure into energy.

The turbine "acts like a pump in reverse," Owre said. The energy from the slowing water powers an electric generator.

The project saves Contra Costa Water about $2,000 per day, or about 5 to 10 percent of its costs, Owre said. The project was included years ago in the district's long-term capital improvement plan.

Contra Costa Water has launched several e�orts to add alternative energy projects, including having an outside �rm operate and maintain four solar panels at its pumping stations or tanks, Allen said.

It also has agreements with windmill companies to generate energy near the reservoir, she said.

District o�cials say green alternative energy projects provide opportunities to invest in systems that reduce reliance on carbon-based energy, save money for ratepayers, and provide environmental bene�ts.

Four Pittsburg residents have thrown their hats in as city council candidates.

Name: Will CaseyAge: 74

Occupation: retired; former city manager and police chief of Pittsburg, former San Francisco police chief

Name: George HarrisAge: 82

Occupation: building contractor; served on planning commission from 1993 to 2006

Name: Ben JohnsonAge: 66

Occupation: retired banking professional

Name: Bob LewisAge: 63

Occupation: vice president of a property management �rm; served on city council from 1989 to 2002

Business Today Page 2

California’s Zinfandel wines were celebrated at the 16th Annual Pittsburg Chamber Zinfandel Championship Dinner (ZIN DIN).

Chamber Guests were cordially invited to attend ZIN DIN on October 5th, 2012 at the majestic Los Medanos Campus grounds under the breathtaking twilight of the evening. ZIN DIN guests were entertained by the evening's emcee and Chamber CEO, Harry York who presented the four winning wineries that earned Double Gold honors during an earlier blind tasting. In addition, the judges bestowed the “Best Buy” award priced at $15 and under.

Guests ate, drank, laughed, and had a great time enjoying the premier dinner celebration while experiencing the beauty of a true California Zinfandel. The Pittsburg Chamber would like to thank our 2012 ZIN DIN Sponsors; Albert D. Seeno Construction Company & Tesoro Corp. for a fantastic event. Overall, the 2012 ZIN DIN was a huge success, and everyone enjoyed the amazing food served by Chamber Members; Scott’s Seafood in Walnut Creek.

Check out the photos below and make sure to follow the Pittsburg Chamber and future events at www.pittsburgchamber.org.

Popcorn, Pop & Politics...The Pittsburg Chamber of Commerce to host Pittsburg Candidates reception on Monday, October 22, 2012 at the Pittsburg Chamber of Commerce Board Room located at 985 Railroad Ave. at 6:00pm.

This is a terri�c opportinity to meet your local candidates one on one and learn about various local issues.

Please contact the Pittsburg Chamber of Commerce at (925) 432-7301 for more informa-tion about this important event.

Contra Costa Water District Usesflowing water to power E. Contra costa...

By Eve MitchellContra Costa Times

Eye on Pittsburg....

Pittsburg Chamber’s 2012 ZIN DIN was a huge success...

By Paul Burgarino Contra Costa Times

Monthly Q&A Technology Tips

how to get the best from your technology...

Coffee & Commerce

Raley’s Supermarket to be converted...

POWs on the Bataan Death March. (U.S. Air Force photo)

Eye on Pittsburg....

Business Today Page 3

Plans still call for the Raley's to close in mid-October, followed by four to six weeks of work to transform the property into a Food Source, a warehouse-type grocery store that is owned by the same West Sacramento company that owns Raley's.

The Raley's on Buchanan Road opened in 1979 and employs about 55 courtesy clerks, checkers and butchers. It is the only major full-service supermarket chain operating in Pittsburg.

Company spokesman John Segale said on Thursday employees will be given the opportunity to either transfer to another Raley's or Bel-Air stores. Employees will also have the opportunity to apply for a job at the Food Source store that will open at the Buchanan Road location.

The news caught city o�cials by surprise.

Mayor Ben Johnson learned that Raley's was going to be transformed into a Food Source from a news report instead of hearing about the decision �rst from Raley's executives, even though there were previous communications.

"My whole problem with this thing, is they did it really hush-hush," he said.

A Food Source store will provide a di�erent shopping experience for people who are used to Raley's, Johnson said.

"It's going to be low-end warehouse store," he said. "It's a downgrade ... People in an upgraded (area) are going to have to go to a downgraded store. It's non-service. You pack your own groceries."

Pittsburg resident Patrice Belleci-Shipe isn't familiar with Food Source stores, but de�nitely has an opinion of Raley's.

"It's a neighborhood all-service store and it's a very unfortunate thing to lose. We are going to miss the employees, no question, and the quality of the fruits and vegetables and meats and lots of specialty items that they get," she said. "It's going to be hard to match."

Raley's is a privately held company that operates 128 Raley's, Bel-Air, Nob Hill Foods and Food Source stores in Northern California and Nevada and employs about 13,000 people.

Raley's �rst announced it was closing its Buchanan Road store in late August, saying the location didn't do enough business to cover operating costs.

Raley's, Safeway and Save Mart, which owns Lucky's, are negotiating new labor contracts in Northern California with United Food and Commercial Workers Local 5. Mike Henneberry, Local 5 communications director, had suggested at the time that Raley's move to close the Buchanan Road store could "very well be a shot across the bow -- store closings until we get a deal."

Henneberry said in an email on Thursday, "We are in negotiations with the company for a mutually agreeable path to unionization for the new Food Source."

Absolutely! Tablet computers such as the iPad or the Kindle Fire HD have come a long way in a short amount of time. With the right apps installed, you can do email, presentations, spreadsheets, word docu-ments, project management, and even Point Of Sale applications with little training or expense. Tablets are meant to be intuitive, with only touch-based input to make things feel natural. All of this plus more than 10hrs of battery, always-on internet connectivity, and comparable

Can you actually do real "work" on a tablet computer?

Q:

A:

pricing to laptops make a great case to buy a tablet computer over a traditional laptop. The best part? You can play games and read magazines when you're done "working."

SB 1186 (Steinberg; D-Sacramento/Dutton; R-Rancho Cucamonga) also promotes increased compliance with disability accessibility building codes throughout the state.

SB 1186 was developed over the last four months in discussions by the authors, their sta�s and a working group including the CalChamber.

As an urgency measure, SB 1186 took e�ect immediately upon being signed on September 19.

Among other things, SB 1186:

Prohibits prelitigation "demands for money" by attorneys.Puts into place new provisions to prevent "stacking" of multiple claims to increase statutory damages.Reduces statutory damages and provides litigation protections for defendants who correct violations.Establishes priorities for the California Commission on Disabled Accessibility that promote and facilitate disability access compliance.California has 40% of the nation's ADA lawsuits but only 12% of the country's disabled population.

Disability Access...

PJ is an executive board member for the Chamber and VP of Marketing for Ramar Foods. Follow him on Twitter @foodtechlife

SUPPORT

By Eve Mitchelle Contra Costa Times

By Eve MitchellContra Costa Times

Business Starts Here

Business Today Page 4

Governor Signs All Job Creator Bills Sent to His Desk...

SCORE BusinessCounselingBy appointment only

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ZIN DINLocation: LMC6:00pm

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Goveror Edmund G. Brown Jr. has signed the eight job creator bills passed by the Legislature in the closing days of the session.

This year the California Chamber of Commerce identified 34 job creator bills; nine were sent to the Governor and signed into law.

September 30 was the last day for the Governor to sign or veto bills passed by the Legislature shortly before it adjourned on August 31.

The Governor recently signed the following job creator bills:

AB 890 (Olsen; R-Modesto) CEQA Reform -Improves safety and roadway conditions that expedite goods and people movement by exempting roadway projects from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) process. AB 1612 (Lara; D-Los Angeles) Administrative Practices -Promotes government accountability and a transparent process by requiring proposed new residential building standards to include the cost of compliance, potential benefits of the proposed standard and the underlying model used to achieve those estimates. AB 2026 (Fuentes; D-Sylmar) Film Credit Extension -Protects jobs in the film industry by extending the film tax credit for two years, until July 1, 2017. AB 2245 (Smyth; R-Santa Clarita) CEQA Reform-Maximizes state funding and promotes tourism by exempting bike lanes in existing roadways from the CEQA process. SB 1099 (Wright; D-Inglewood) Creates Regulatory Certainty-Provides certainty for

business by creating a predictable and easy-to-track implementation schedule for new regulations and provides language of new regulations online for easier access. SB 1161 (Padilla; D-Pacoima) Internet-Based Services-Provides certainty and creates a level playing field for California business by assuring that Voice over Internet Protocol- and Internet Protocol enabled services will not be regulated at the state level but rather at the federal level. SB 1197 (R. Calderon; D-Montebello) Film Credit Extension-Protects jobs in the film industry by extending the film tax credit for two years, until July 1, 2017.SB 1402 (Lieu; D-Torrance) Better Workforce Development -Helps improve alignment of the state’s workforce needs and education resources by reauthorizing the Economic and Workforce Development program within the California Community College system. The Governor signed the following job creator bill earlier this year:AB 1073 (Fuentes; D-Sylmar) Project Streamlining -Promotes the use of cost-efficient energy by allowing a solar facility to convert from solar thermal technology to photovoltaic technology without having to file a new application. Signed by Governor, 5/23/12-Chapter 14 (urgency).

These bills are consistent with the goals of the CalChamber 2012 Renew Agenda and will help position California for economic recovery.

Pittsburg Chamber of Commerce

985 Railroad Ave.Pittsburg, CA.

94565(925)432-7301

www.pittsburgchamber.org

NewsletterMonica Couture

Pittsburg Chamberof Commerce

monica@pittsburgchamber.org

Spooktacularlocation: century plaza1:00PM-3:00PM

Now that the chamber’s major events are over the Chamber sta�, Chamber Board and myself can focus on building a better Chamber and Pittsburg area business community. Those plans include the Candidates night on October 22. This program well be providing businesses the opportunity to meet with their local candidates; City Council, School Board, Community College Board, and also representatives of local Ballot issues. The Chamber will also be providing information on the state ballot issues.Over the next few months the Chamber will start pumping up its business connection opportunity mixers, morning co�ee sessions, and lunch meetings.Look for the Chamber continue to partner with other nonpro�ts and businesses to o�er Chamber members with the best learning opportunities, of the latest business solutions and practices, such as using Facebook or LinkedIn to improve and grow your business.Chamber will continue to be involved with business issues at the state, local and federal levels to make sure government is not getting in way of businesses to expand and generate dollars while creating new jobs.The Chamber is also going to be doing some major research to learn where local Pittsburg residents are shopping, and where people who work in Pittsburg shop and dine. This data will be imperative prior to creating an e�ective “Shop Local First” campaign for the Pittsburg area. In addition will be looking at how we can develop an e�ective program to change a long time misappropriated image of Pittsburg. If you have ideas for a Chamber program that will bene�t businesses in our area, please give me a call or send me an e-mail with that idea, so we can look at putting it into our Chamber programs at harry@pittsburgchamber.org.

Harry YorkCEO

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Popcorn, Pop & PliticsCandidates Forumlocation: 985 Railroad Ave.6:00PM

Harry’s Corner October 2012 Calendar of events